Refrigerating process and apparatus for cooling fat emulsions such as margarine and the like



21 1931- w. G. SCHROEDER 1,303,212

REFRIGERATING PROCESS AND APPARATUS FOR COOLING FAT EMULSIONS SUCH As MARGARINE AND THE LIKE Filed Aug. 19, 1929 5 Sheets-Sheet l .ii wli OOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO0 OOOOOOOOOOOOOGQOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOO oooo ooooo OOOOOOOO W ahr0ef nwew T/IQ Aprll 28, 1931. w SCHRQEDER 1,803,212 REFRIGERATING PROCESS AND APPARATUS FOR COOLING FAT EMULSIONS SUCH AS MARGARINE AND THE LIKE Filed Aug. 19, 1929 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 W al 66%;?"

Aprll 28, 1931. w SCHRQEDER 1,803,212

REFRIGERATINGPROCESSAND APPARATUS FOR COOLING FAT EMULSIONS SUCH AS MARGARINE AND THE LIKE Filed Aug. 19, 1929 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Patented Apr. 28, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE WILHELM GOTTHILF SCHROEDEB, OF LUBECK, GERMANY BEFBIGERATING PROCESS AND APPARAT' US FOR-COOLING FAT EM'ULSIONS SUCH A! MARGABINE AND THE LIKE Application filed August 19, 1929, SerialNo.

For cooling fat emulsions in the margarine industry for example cooling drums are used in which the material to be cooled is applied in a thin layer on the surface of the drum a casing and is cooled down. In order to produce a rapid cooling of the emulsion layer, brine cooled down to to was pumped through the interior space of suchv a cooling drum so that the emulsion applied to the sur- 1o face of the drum casing solidified as rapidly. as possible; the solidified emulsion was then scraped off by means of sharp knives applied to the drum, it fell onto a conveying device and was worked u in a kneading machine to 15 a finished butter-like product.

In order to produce a desired high output with such a cooling drum, it was heretofore necessary to pump a large quantity of strongly cooled brine (about 20 to 30 litres per 1 kg.

20 of margarine) through the'drum casing. The strong cooling of such a large amount of brine, however, necessitates with larger scale production a somewhat large plant of refrigerating machines, a large amount of space,

and considerable driving power. Hithertd the brine was preliminarily cooled in a large tank, until it attained the low degree of cooling and then was pumped by means of a pump through the cooling drum and led back again into the brine tank. In this manher much coldness was withdrawn from the brine, which had to be replaced again by the plant of. refrigerating machines. In the latter case a great disadvantage consisted in this, that the stufling boxes, which should tightly seal the places of entry and exit of the brine tube on the drum, could not always stand up to the high pump pressure and became untight.

' In order to remedy these inconveniences,

according to the present invention the evaporator of the refrigerating machine is to be built within the revolving casing of the cooling. drum and insuch a'manner that it re mains stationary in the 'said' cooling drum. The remaining hollow space in' the drum is filled up with brine, which is introduced into the drum by an expansion vessel ar-' rangedion a hollow axle and which can ex- 386,870, and in German February 4, 1926.

pand by temperature variation into the said vessel.

The evaporator built in the drum consists of a hollow vessel on the lower side of which a pocket is welded for the reception of the liquid ammonia solution. On the opposite, upper, side there is another similar pocket. .These two pockets are connected with one another by a large number of tubes in which the liquid ammonia, which is introduced into the lower ocket, evaporates, collects in the upper pocket and is sucked off in the gaseous state through a pipe conduit by a compressor.

The inner surface of the drum casing is provided'with longitudinal and cross ribs.

The brine in the drum is agitated during the rotation of the drum casing and must rub against the cold evaporator tubes; it takesand holds the cold emanating from the drum and reflects on the exterior surface of the emulsion layer applied to the drum. The drum 1 is mounted by means of its hollow axles 3, 3 in the collar bearings 4, 4', and is set into rotation by a worm drive 5 which is driven by means of an electro-motor. The

fat emulsions to be cooled are uniformly applied in a thin layer to the drum surface 7 by means of an applying device 6 and always after a rotation of the drum 1 are removed cleanly from the drum in the thoroughly cooled state by means of the knives 8. The cooled emulsion layer, only about 0.2 mm. thick, falls from the drum in the form of a band-or film onto a transport device, by which itis forwarded to kneading machines for working up to-the finished state. Within the cooling drum 1 an evaporator is constructed, in which the cooling agents introduced, such as e. g. liquid ammonia,

large number of semi-circularly bent tubes' 12, 12'. On the right-hand side surface 13 of the hollowvessel 9 a strong walled pipe 14 is attached by means of a flange 15, in

which pipe the liquid cooling agentto be evaporated, e. g. ammonia solution, is introduced and is led through the tube 17 into the distributing pocket 10, in which the liquid cooling agent evaporates'in order to reach the collecting pocket 11 through the collection of tubes '12, 12, from which pocket the warmed cooling vapours are led 011: through the. tube 18 and the pipe 19 and are sucked off by the compressor of the refrigerating machine attached at 20. The pipe 19, as well as the pipe 14, is constructed with particularly thick walls and is attached in the same way to the side wall 13 by means of a flange This evaporating member formed in this way is freely suspended'in the drum by means of pipes 14 and 19 inserted in the hollow axles 3, 3' and mounted on the interior side in roller bearings 21, 21'. At the outer ends of the hollow axles 3, 3' the pipes 14 and 19 run through stufiing boxes 22, 22. The ammonia supply tube coming from the condenser of the refrigerating machine is tightly attached at 16 by means of flanges on to the entry tube 14, and the suction tube of the-compressor is attached similarly, so that no gases can escape into the factory and the evaporator in the drum itself cannot rotate.

The vacant annular space 23 between the cooling drum 1, and the-vessel 9 is kept full of brine from the vessel 24' by means of the expansion tube. 25 andsthe ducts '26, which brine completely jackets the evaporator 1n the drum. By the rotation of the cooling drum a part of the brine is agitated by the longitudinalribs 27 cast on'the interior surface of the drum casing, so that efl'icient-rubbing of the brine against theevaporator tubes 12 occurs, whereby'the coldness of the evaporator tubes 12 is taken up by the brine and is transferred to the drum casing 1, on the outer surface of which the thinly-applied layer of margarine emulsion solidifies in about 2 seconds, and therefore is cooled through and through.

What'I claim is 1. An apparatus for cooling fat emulsions and the like, comprising a revolving cooling drum, means for applying to the said cool ing drum'the' material to be cooled, and a' cooling device, directly connected with a refrigerating machine, arranged within the interior of said drum, the evaporator of a refrigerating machine being constructed withq in the hollow space of the drum, said evapo rator consisting of a hollow vessel having two headers extending substantially the, entire length within the hollow vessel connected with one another by several semi-circular tubes, within which vapourize the cooling agents which are supplied and withdrawn ing two headersextending substantially the entire length within the hollow vessel connected with one another by several semi-circular tubes, within which vapourize the cooling agents which are supplied and withdrawn through tubes led through the hollow shafts of the revolving, drum, the said evaporator remaining stationary during rotation of the said drum and being rigidly connected with the supply tubes of the cooling agent and the suction withdrawal tubes of the heated gases, as set forth.

3. constructional form of the apparatus claimed in claim 2, in which the supply tube and the suctionwithdrawal tube for the cooling agent are led through the hollow shafts of the cooling drum andare mounted therein by means of roller bearings, as set forth.

4, constructional form of the apparatus claimed in claim 1, in which the annular space between the drum casing and the said hollow vessel is maintained full of brine from an expansion vessel by means of ducts between the suction withdrawal tube and the hollow shaft of the drum, which brine accordingly by temperature variation can expand and contract, as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have signed my I name to this speclficatlon.

WILHELM GOTTHILF SCHROEDER. 

